Education and training

Education and training

As hospital clinical pharmacy services expanded, there was a growing recognition of the need for postgraduate training for pharmacists. Postgraduate courses in clinical pharmacy started at Bradford, London and Manchester universities in the 1970s and others quickly followed. This included the development of part-time courses, which resulted in a significant increase in the numbers of pharmacists being able to receive postgraduate training in clinical pharmacy. The majority of UK NHS hospitals now employ clinical pharmacists with advanced postgraduate qualifications and many clinical pharmacists also contribute to the teaching on postgraduate courses. The training and education that hospital pharmacists receive are covered in more detail in Chapter 17. Clinical pharmacy services also include the regular provision of training and education for other healthcare staff at most hospitals a service that is valued highly.